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News & Notices for the People of Bradley County
Vol. I · No. 1 Cleveland, Tenn. · Friday, November 13, 2026 Price: Free

Council Meetings › Bradley County Commission

Bradley County Commission · November 9, 2026

Spring Place Road neighbors oppose Dollar General rezoning; engineer offers to seek a turn lane

Most of the work session went to a request to rezone a lot on Spring Place Road from FAR Forestry/Agricultural/Residential to C-2 General Commercial for a retail store, which the applicant's engineer and commissioners described as a Dollar General. The county Planning Commission sent it up with no recommendation after a 3-3 vote. Seven people spoke against it, most about traffic safety on the road, and the engineer said he would ask the developer to commit to a turn lane before the November 16 voting session, where the rezoning has a public hearing. The work session took no votes.

Video: Bradley County, TN - Government · watch on YouTube

Summary

TL;DR: Most of the work session went to a request to rezone a lot on Spring Place Road from FAR Forestry/Agricultural/Residential to C-2 General Commercial for a retail store, which the applicant's engineer and commissioners described as a Dollar General.[1][17][19] The county Planning Commission sent it up with no recommendation after a 3-3 vote.[17] Seven people spoke against it, most about traffic safety on the road, and the engineer said he would ask the developer to commit to a turn lane before the November 16 voting session, where the rezoning has a public hearing.[29][36][37][1] The work session took no votes.[1]

Overview

Chairman Milan Blake called the noon work session to order in the Bradley County Courthouse commission room.[1][4] He welcomed guests including Director of Schools Dr. Linda Cash and Juvenile Court Judge Andrew Morgan. Commissioner Bobby Goins led the pledge.[4][1] Blake said Commissioner Mike Hughes was absent.[8]

  • Mayor's report [02:36]. County Mayor D. Gary Davis presented two non-contiguous annexation resolutions, one for the golf course on Dalton Pike and one for a lot in East Cleveland near new apartments across from the old East Cleveland school. He said they would come back at the December 14 work session and to a vote in December.[5][6] Davis said the new fire station's building is nearly enclosed, three of four ballfields have underlayment down, and the Blue Springs and Mike Smith parks are finished.[5] Commissioner Louie Alford suggested a plan to save and reuse the topsoil that will be moved when the fields are built.[7]
  • Committee and district reports [06:16]:

- Alford said the Joint Education and Road Committee asked on September 28 for monthly school enrollment figures, that the commission office sent a written request on September 29, and that no figures had come back. He asked to put a motion on the November 16 agenda to send a letter asking the Board of Education and Director of Schools for a monthly enrollment report by school.[9] - Commissioner Denny Collins said the EMS Committee meets November 17 at 11 a.m. in the commission room.[10] - Vice Chair Cindy Slater announced the Food City grand reopening on McGrady Drive on November 11 and the Trousdale School's 10th annual art show on November 12, 5:30 to 7 p.m., with more than 700 pieces of art made by its clients.[11] - Commissioner Josh Taylor announced a kids' construction festival on November 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.[12] Commissioner Rich Kienlen said the Juvenile Committee will meet December 11 at 11 a.m. at the juvenile center to tour the construction.[13] - Commissioner Tim Mason said 395 residents brought electronics, paint and other items to Household Hazardous Waste Day.[14] - Commissioner Tommy Ledford said nursing home employees will get the same Cigna insurance the county has, at no cost to the county, and that City Manager Joe Fivas gave a presentation to the economic development committee.[15] - Commissioner Stephen Beasley praised the Tinsley Park grand opening.[16]

  • Agenda item A, Spring Place Road rezoning [15:03]. Commissioner Terri Murray presented a resolution to rezone tax map 094, parcel 036.04, on Spring Place Road from FAR to C-2 General Commercial. The county's map lists the site in Commission District 4 and the applicant as Berry Engineers LLC, the current use as undeveloped and the proposed use as a retail store.[17][1] Murray said the Planning Commission made no recommendation because its vote was 3-3 with one abstention.[17][3] The resolution says the Planning Commission took up the request October 15, and that the County Commission's public hearing is November 16.[1] State property records list the parcel, at 6604 Spring Place Rd SE, under the owners "Grant Devonna & Scott Thacker, Steve Thacker & Bena Thomas," with a deed recorded January 13, 2026, in Book 3286, the same deed book the resolution cites.[2][1]

- Slater asked whether a traffic study had been done, saying the entrance is near the top of a hill where the speed limit is 45 to 55. She asked for a formal study of sight distance and the need for a turning lane before she votes.[18][20] - Ben Berry of Berry Engineers said TDOT has conceptually approved the driveway location, that the site meets sight-distance standards, and that it does not meet TDOT's warrants for a turn lane.[19][21] - County Planner Bentley Thomas said the county's future land use plan shows the area as mixed commercial, and that a large crowd opposed the project at the Planning Commission, which he said he thinks is why the vote tied.[23] Collins asked whether it would be prudent to send the request back to the Planning Commission. Blake said the commission would decide next week whether to send it back.[22][24] - Berry said the Planning Commission deferred the request once to see the future land use map, and that at the next meeting three members voted for it and three against, with Max Phillips and Josh Rogers absent.[25] - Alford asked the chairman to look at adding the road superintendent to the Planning Commission and at requiring turn lanes in the subdivision regulations.[26]

  • Communication from the audience [29:33]:

- Judge Morgan said the juvenile court clerk's office renovation is finished and the clerk's staff moved in about two weeks earlier. He said the courtroom now has sound insulation and new flooring, and that the old clerk's office will become a second courtroom. Davis said the SPCA, whose space the court would use for parking, expects to leave sometime in 2027.[27][28] - Seven people spoke against the rezoning. - Beverly Ellis said she has lived on Spring Place all her life. She said residents measured 284 feet from the top of the hill to the driveway for southbound traffic and 890 feet for northbound traffic, and that a car at 55 mph needs 300 to 419 feet to stop. She said she worries about school buses on the road.[29] - A resident who lives across the street on Millbrook said it is already hard to turn onto Spring Place and that more traffic would endanger children on the street.[30] - Scott Humbert said local businesses keep more of their revenue in the local economy than chain stores, and that there are Dollar General stores about four miles north and six miles south of the site.[31] - Mary Holmes and Mary Ann Runyon, who said she has lived on Bucks Pocket Road since 1970, opposed the store.[32][33] Ricky Ellis said he has seen tractor-trailers and cars passing on the road and that part of the property floods.[34] - Sam Patel said he owns the store at Hughes Lake Road and Spring Place, and asked commissioners to consider the residents who signed petitions.[35] - Berry spoke again. He said a turn lane could be built even though TDOT's warrants do not require one, and that the store would be allowed under the current zoning except for its size: the current zoning caps customer service area at 2,500 square feet, so it would allow four stores that size but not one 10,000-square-foot store. He said the "real issue" is competition with an existing store and that zoning should not be used to keep out competition.[36] - Slater said the developer had heard the safety concerns for months and asked what it would do about them. Berry said he would ask the developer to commit to a turning lane and have an answer before November 16.[37] - Ledford said the site is close to his home, that he would support the residents, and that eight people had called him in favor of the store. He said he could accept the rezoning with a turn-lane contingency.[38][40] Blake asked Thomas whether the commission can attach a contingency to a rezoning. Taylor asked whether a changed site plan would have to go back to the Planning Commission.[39]

  • Announcements [1:04:16]: county offices closed November 11; Law Enforcement Committee November 12 at 12:30 p.m. at the courthouse; Board of Education November 12 at 5 p.m. at the Central Office; Bradley County Fire rookie graduation November 13 at 1 p.m. at Family Worship Center. The next meeting is the voting session Monday, November 16, at noon.[41][1]

Decisions

None. This was a work session, and no motions or votes were taken.[1]

Sources

  1. Bradley County Commission, Work Session Agenda, November 9, 2026, with rezoning map and draft resolution (pages 1 to 3). https://bradleycountytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Work-Session-Agenda-11.9.2026.pdf ↩
  2. Tennessee Comptroller, Tennessee Property Assessment Data, Bradley County, map 094, parcel 036.04. https://assessment.cot.tn.gov/TPAD ↩
  3. Bradley County Planning Commission, October 15, 2026, meeting record (vote and public comment on the Spring Place Road request). https://cbfp.news/council/committees/planning-commission/2026-10-15/ ↩
  4. Meeting video, 00:00 to 02:36. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=0 ↩
  5. Meeting video, 02:36 to 04:24. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=156 ↩
  6. Meeting video, 04:24 to 05:10. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=264 ↩
  7. Meeting video, 05:10 to 06:16. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=310 ↩
  8. Meeting video, 06:16 to 06:35. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=376 ↩
  9. Meeting video, 06:35 to 08:35. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=395 ↩
  10. Meeting video, 08:53 to 09:18. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=533 ↩
  11. Meeting video, 09:18 to 10:03. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=558 ↩
  12. Meeting video, 10:06 to 10:27. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=606 ↩
  13. Meeting video, 10:27 to 10:56. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=627 ↩
  14. Meeting video, 10:56 to 12:06. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=656 ↩
  15. Meeting video, 12:07 to 14:45. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=727 ↩
  16. Meeting video, 14:45 to 15:03. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=885 ↩
  17. Meeting video, 15:03 to 16:23. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=903 ↩
  18. Meeting video, 16:23 to 16:54. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=983 ↩
  19. Meeting video, 17:29 to 18:28. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1049 ↩
  20. Meeting video, 18:28 to 19:08. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1108 ↩
  21. Meeting video, 19:14 to 19:51. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1154 ↩
  22. Meeting video, 20:02 to 21:17. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1202 ↩
  23. Meeting video, 21:17 to 22:39. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1277 ↩
  24. Meeting video, 22:39 to 23:53. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1359 ↩
  25. Meeting video, 26:18 to 27:41. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1578 ↩
  26. Meeting video, 28:06 to 29:33. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1686 ↩
  27. Meeting video, 29:33 to 31:24. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1773 ↩
  28. Meeting video, 31:24 to 31:58. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1884 ↩
  29. Meeting video, 32:20 to 37:46. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1940 ↩
  30. Meeting video, 37:46 to 39:47. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2266 ↩
  31. Meeting video, 39:48 to 44:06. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2388 ↩
  32. Meeting video, 44:21 to 45:39. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2661 ↩
  33. Meeting video, 45:39 to 46:10. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2739 ↩
  34. Meeting video, 46:30 to 48:41. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2790 ↩
  35. Meeting video, 48:41 to 49:19. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2921 ↩
  36. Meeting video, 49:31 to 54:40. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2971 ↩
  37. Meeting video, 54:40 to 57:20. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3280 ↩
  38. Meeting video, 57:20 to 59:22. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3440 ↩
  39. Meeting video, 59:22 to 1:00:33. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3562 ↩
  40. Meeting video, 1:00:33 to 1:02:17. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3633 ↩
  41. Meeting video, 1:04:16 to 1:05:26. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3856 ↩

Highlights

Full report

CLEVELAND, Tenn. Seven people spoke against a proposed rezoning on Spring Place Road at the Bradley County Commission's November 9 work session, most of them about traffic on the state highway.[5][9] The request would rezone tax map 094, parcel 036.04, in Commission District 4, from FAR Forestry/Agricultural/Residential to C-2 General Commercial for a retail store, which the applicant's engineer and commissioners described as a Dollar General.[1][6]

The county Planning Commission sent the request to the commission with no recommendation. Commissioner Terri Murray said its vote was 3-3 with one abstention.[4][3] The commission holds a public hearing and is scheduled to take it up at its November 16 voting session.[1]

Traffic

Beverly Ellis, who said she has lived on Spring Place all her life, said residents measured 284 feet from the top of the hill to the driveway for southbound drivers. She said a car going 55 mph needs 300 to 419 feet to stop, and that school buses use the road twice a day.[5]

Ben Berry of Berry Engineers, the applicant, said TDOT has conceptually approved the driveway location and that the site meets sight-distance standards. He said the site does not meet TDOT's warrants, the standards the state uses to require a turn lane.[6][7] Vice Chair Cindy Slater asked what the developer would do about the safety concerns residents have raised for months. Berry said he would ask the developer to commit to a turning lane and have an answer before November 16.[8]

Competition

Sam Patel, who said he owns the store at Hughes Lake Road and Spring Place, asked commissioners to consider the residents who signed petitions.[9] Scott Humbert said there are Dollar General stores about four miles north and six miles south of the site.[10]

Berry said the current zoning already allows this kind of store but caps its customer area at 2,500 square feet, so it would allow four stores that size but not one 10,000-square-foot store. "I don't think we should use zoning to keep out competition," he said.[11]

Commissioner Tommy Ledford, who said the site is close to his home, said he would support the residents, that eight people had called him in favor of the store, and that he could accept the rezoning if it carried a turn-lane contingency.[12][13] Chairman Milan Blake said the commission would decide at the voting session whether to send the request back to the Planning Commission.[14]

State property records list the parcel, at 6604 Spring Place Rd SE, under the owners "Grant Devonna & Scott Thacker, Steve Thacker & Bena Thomas."[2]

Other business

County Mayor D. Gary Davis presented two non-contiguous annexation resolutions, one for the golf course on Dalton Pike and one for a lot in East Cleveland. He said they would return at the December 14 work session.[15][16] Commissioner Louie Alford asked to put a letter on the November 16 agenda asking the school system for monthly enrollment reports by school.[17]

The work session took no votes.[1]

Sources

  1. Bradley County Commission, Work Session Agenda, November 9, 2026, with rezoning map and draft resolution (pages 1 to 3). https://bradleycountytn.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Work-Session-Agenda-11.9.2026.pdf ↩
  2. Tennessee Comptroller, Tennessee Property Assessment Data, Bradley County, map 094, parcel 036.04. https://assessment.cot.tn.gov/TPAD ↩
  3. Bradley County Planning Commission, October 15, 2026, meeting record (vote and public comment on the Spring Place Road request). https://cbfp.news/council/committees/planning-commission/2026-10-15/ ↩
  4. Meeting video, 15:03 to 16:23. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=903 ↩
  5. Meeting video, 32:20 to 37:46. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1940 ↩
  6. Meeting video, 17:29 to 18:28. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1049 ↩
  7. Meeting video, 19:14 to 19:51. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1154 ↩
  8. Meeting video, 54:40 to 57:20. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3280 ↩
  9. Meeting video, 48:41 to 49:19. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2921 ↩
  10. Meeting video, 39:48 to 44:06. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2388 ↩
  11. Meeting video, 49:31 to 54:40. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=2971 ↩
  12. Meeting video, 57:20 to 59:22. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3440 ↩
  13. Meeting video, 1:00:33 to 1:02:17. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=3633 ↩
  14. Meeting video, 22:39 to 23:53. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=1359 ↩
  15. Meeting video, 02:36 to 04:24. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=156 ↩
  16. Meeting video, 04:24 to 05:10. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=264 ↩
  17. Meeting video, 06:35 to 08:35. https://youtu.be/7JCbi-K4jzo?t=395 ↩